Sichuan Airlines Emergency Landing: All passengers, crew on flight 3U8633 safe after cockpit window breaks

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The emergency landing of the Sichuan Airlines Flight has gone viral on social media, with many lauding the pilots for their heroics. But for some, it's an experience they'll never forget. One passenger shared a video online which captured the terrifying moments from within the cabin. Jiang Shaoyi brings us more on the incident.

This is not a scene from the movie Sully, but a real-life experience for those onboard flight 3U8633, headed from Chongqing to Lhasa.

PASSENGER FLIGHT 3U8633 "The lights in the cabin went out suddenly. A flight attendant and her trolley bounced off the ground and then fell in the aisle. She was slightly injured."

PASSENGER FLIGHT 3U8633 "We heard a loud "boom", and then the plane started to fall for about five, six seconds. It was a real scare."

The mid-air scare took place after a cockpit window suddenly shattered at 32,000 feet, only 30 minutes after take-off.

119 passengers, and 19 cabin crew members were onboard.

Thankfully, after 45 minutes of struggling to regain control of the aircraft, the pilots were able to safely land the plane in Chengdu.

Captain Liu Chuanjian was the hero of the day.

LIU CHUANJIAN CAPTAIN, FLIGHT 3U8633 "First was the loss of pressure, it causes great damage to your ears, and then it's hypothermia. You can't even move. Imagine you're driving at 200 kilometers per hour in a temperature of minus five degrees and you put your hand out of the window. That's how it felt, if not worse."

Liu is an air-force veteran, who's been flying for over 20 years.

He said the cockpit's temperature dropped to minus 40 degrees Celsius.

The co-pilot, 27-year-old Xu Ruichen, was literally sucked out of the broken window.

He suffered minor injuries in the freak accident, and is now in stable condition

29 passengers were also hospitalised after sustaining minor injuries.

The remaining passengers were transferred to another flight to Lhasa.

Meanwhile, Sichuan Airlines has issued an official apology to passengers.

Safety officials have now opened an investigation into the cause of the incident.

And though the pilots' bravery is worth praise and recognition, many questions continue to linger.

JIANG SHAOYI, CGTN.